This invention relates to firearm safety devices, specifically to firing chamber blocking devices.
A major concern of gun owners and law enforcement officials is the fact children may gain unauthorized access to loaded guns with the consequence of someone being injured or killed. There is also concern that a gun owner may accidentally drop a loaded gun causing an unintentional discharge of the weapon.
Presently there are gun lock devices on the market that have not been entirely satisfactory. Some of these lock into the trigger guard behind the trigger thereby preventing the trigger being pulled. This device does not insure that there is not a live bullet in the firing chamber or breech allowing unintentional discharge of the firearm should it be dropped or handled improperly. There are several cable lock devices in which the breech is partially blocked or in the case of revolver the cylinder is locked out of position. In either case a live bullet can not be loaded into the breech but the firearm has to be left open allowing debris to invade the barrel, breech or the cylinder of the firearm.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN TOOL and ARMORY offers a gun lock that prevents loading live ammunition into the breech but is relatively expensive to manufacture and when used on a automatic or repeating firearm it allows live cartridges to be extracted from a loaded magazine and brought into contact with the breech blocking mechanism and causing jamming of the firearm.
Inventors have created several breech blocking gun locks to prevent the loading of live ammunition into the breech or firing chamber with lock installed. U.S. Pat. No. 5,412,959 to Bentley (1995) discloses a breech blocking that is rather expensive to manufacture and requires the use of a combination lock. When used on a automatic or repeating firearm this mechanism allows live ammunition to be extracted from a loaded magazine and be brought into forcible contact with the breech blocking mechanism causing jamming of the firearm. U.S. Pat. No. 2,479,107 (1949) to Garrison teaches a breech blocking gun lock with a locking blocking rod. This gun lock can be applied a revolver,an automatic pistol or rifle but not to a smooth bore firearm such as a shotgun. This mechanism also allows extraction of live ammunition from a magazine which can cause jamming and damage to the firearm when used on an automatic or repeating firearm.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,048,211 and 4,398,366 issued to Hepp and Wernicki respectively and international publication number WO 00/17596 to Hutton teach the locking of a dummy shell in the breech to prevent the entry of a live cartridge into the breach. No mention is made of deactivating the extractor or the consequences of trying to eject a dummy cartridge that is locked in place. U.S. Pat. No. 6,041,536 to Samuels teaches a breech blocking gun lock to be used on a revolver only. U.S. Pat. No. 6,237,272 B1 issued to Randy Lee Scott (2001) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,070,635 issued to David A. Cventanovich both teach chamber blocking plugs held in place by xe2x80x9cOxe2x80x9d rings. Both may be installed in automatic or repeating firearms but neither prevent the extraction of ammunition from a magazine. Both may be installed in a revolver but neither offer protection from the rotation of the cylinder causing live ammunition to be placed in firing position unless a safety plug is inserted into each chamber of the revolver. U.S. Pat. No. 6,226,914 issued to Reed, May 8, 2001 specifies use on open port firearms thereby excluding revolvers.
In accordance with the present invention a gun safety device comprises a receiver blocking member and a bore blocking member and means to connect the two members providing an overall length approximately 20 percent longer than the ejection clearance of the firearm to be protected.
Several objects and advantages of the present invention are:
(a) to provide a gun safety device that is easy to install but difficult for a child to remove without proper tooling and instructions;
(b) to provide a gun safety device that is inexpensive to manufacture and requires no maintenance;
(c) to provide a gun safety device that will not effect the action of the firearm or damage any part thereof;
(d) to provide a gun safety device that is suitable for use on most firearms having an ejection mechanism with a specific ejection clearance dimension;
(e) to provide a gun safety device that is suitable for use on revolvers;
(f) to provide a gun safety device that can be easily removed by the insertion of a specialized tool into the muzzle of the firearm.